Damara
by AikiKat
Summary: Damara is a young girl struggling in a pre-Jaenelle Terreille who maybe, with a little help from Daemon, can grow up to make a stand against the tainted Blood.
1. Chapter 1

Damara  
Chapter 1  
  
She didn't like him. He gave her the creeps. Every time she looked up it always was mistakenly into his eyes. Nathtae clicked her nails together as she settled deeper into her chair. "Kartane, darling, how long did your mother say that she would be?"  
He took his eyes off the girl to look at his mother's friend. "She'll be here very soon, I'm sure. She's just finishing up with a...meeting." Damara was confused by the way he said "meeting," but her aunt seemed to understand judging by her knowing smile and chuckle.   
The door swung open and Dorothea glided in, her typical devious eyes lit. "Good afternoon, Nathtae. It's always nice to see an old sister of my coven." Nathtae had stood and gave Dorothea an artificial kiss on the cheek. As Dorothea turned her head to accept the kiss, her eyes rested on Damara. "Who's this?"  
"Oh, my dead sister's child, Damara. I'm raising her," Nathtae said casually waving her hand at the girl sitting on the sofa.  
Damara cast her eyes to the ground under Dorothea's stare. She gave her the creeps too. "I'll have one of the servants show you to your rooms, and I'll see you at dinner later tonight."  
"See you then," Nathtae smiled. Dorothea glided out, Nathtae close behind her. Damara started to stand up, keeping her head down, avoiding Kartane's eyes. She slowly moved toward the door, which she nervously realized was blocked by him. Damara looked up and saw his wide grin. She began to back away as Kartane lifted his hand up to brush her cheek. "Don't run away; I'm not gonna hurt you, little mouse. That's what you remind me of, a mouse, with your big brown eyes." He advanced forward. "Wanna play a game of cat and mouse?" His eyes looked like Dorothea's had when Damara had first seen her, and it made her feel like the world was spinning up to meet her. "Come here, little mouse," he said in a sing-song voice.  
Her aunt's head popped back into the room. She grabbed Damara's arm. "Don't dawdle, Damara. Hurry up." For once she was glad of her aunt's impatience, as she pulled her past Kartane and out the door. There were many twisting and turning hallways that all looked the same, but the servant seemed to be able to distinguish the difference between. He stopped at two large wooden doors and opened the first, motioning Nathtae in. She entered and turned around to face Damara. "I'm going to freshen up for dinner. Wear something nice. A servant will escort us down when it's time. Until then stay in your room." The door slammed shut and bolted.   
The servant motioned her into the room beside her aunt's. Damara shut the door. Her traveling case lay on the bed. She hated dressing up and hated sitting at dinner with her aunt. It was never anybody she knew and they never talked about anything interesting. But she had to go because her aunt said. It's not like she had any friends to have dinner with anyway; her aunt told her what to do and friends were never part of her life. The kitchen ladies were nice, and she liked them. Nathtae always yelled at them though. She guessed that they were sort of her friends. Damara sank down on the bed, and unhooked the latch of her case. She opened up a hidden side compartment that was opal-locked (her birthright jewel) and pulled out a small, worn frame with a picture in it. A tear splattered on the glass protecting the black and white picture. "I love you, mom." Damara delicately put the picture back into its place, and began to dig around for a managable dress. She picked out the dark blue knee-length dress with tight sleeves. After fluffing her long hair, she pulled out her favorite book and laid back on the bed to read. The book was very old and very thick, but it was her third time reading it.   
After a hour or so, there was a knock on her door. She quickly hid the book (her aunt didn't like her reading) and called out, "Who is it?" as she began to probe the hallway.  
"Open the door, Damara. It's your aunt!"  
Damara hurried to the door, and opened it. Nathtae huffed inside. "Who the hell else would it be, Damara?"  
The girl pictured Kartane in her mind, but shook her head. "Um...nobody, Aunt Nathtae." She chewed on her nail nervously and waited for more berating. She looked at her aunt; she was dressed very different than she normally was for dinner parties. The skirt she wore was tight and the shirt was cut low, showing her sapphire jewel.  
"Our escort is here and we wouldn't want to keep him waiting. I'm going to be busy tonight so when you get tired go to bed and stay in your room," Nathtae said to her neice with an under current of warning. When she said to stay in her room, Damara knew that she meant it.   
Turning on her heel Nathtae tromped into the hall and hooked her arm through the escort's leaving Damara to walk behind. Her aunt leered at the escort with his cold expression. "Daemon, how have you been?"she asked in an uncharacteristically giggly and feminine voice.  
"Fine," he replied quietly.   
"Dorothea said I could have you for tonight," she cooed as she ran her finger up his chest. Damara averted her eyes and instead looked at the stone walls. She had never seen her aunt like this, and didn't want to see anymore. Daemon seemed to be much less enthusiastic than her aunt who layed all over him on the walk to dinner. Nathtae sat next to Dorothea who had a man in tight clothes with a pretty face on the other side of her. Between Damara and her Aunt sat Daemon who still wore the same expression as when she had first seen him.   
She watched him as he calmly looked around the room. She could feel his anger coming off him in waves. Anger as he watched everyone enter the room. Damara was slightly frightened, not by him, but by his anger. She had never felt anything like it before. As she was watching him she felt a presence of a Warlord sitting down beside her. She glanced over and blanched: it was Kartane. He grinned at her and waved. With an almost inaudible whimper she leaned closer to Daemon on her right. "Kartane sit somewhere else," he said with his smooth voice.   
"Why should I?" Kartane asked, narrowing his eyes.  
"Because I told you to," the black-jeweled Warlord Prince growled in reply. Something silent was passing between them on a male spear thread that Damara couldn't hear, but she could tell by the changes in Kartane's facial expression. Daemon's never changed except for one smug eyebrow raise and slight grin at the end. Abruptly, Kartane got up and moved to sit on the seat across the table from his mother. Damara turned with a grateful smile to her hero; he was watching her was a curious expression. "Thank you so much. He gives me the creeps," she said quickly. He smiled a little and said, "You're welcome. He gives a lot of people the creeps."   
"My name's Damara Larken. What's yours?"  
"Daemon Sadi. It's nice to meet you, Damara."  
"It's nice to meet you too," Damara smiled for the first time since entering Dorothea's castle.   
Her aunt heard them talking and turned to look at what was going on. "Damara, don't slouch. It's very unlady-like. I've taught you better than that," she ordered.  
"Yes, Aunt Nathtae," Damara muttered. Her aunt turned her attention to Daemon who resumed his bored expression as she chattered, all smiles and batting eyelashes, about absolutely nothing.   
Damara sighed, another boring dinner without anyone to talk to as usual. Dinner consisted of roast beef, potatoes, and green beans. She sat silently after she was done and waited for her aunt to dismiss her, which she knew would be soon.  
"Damara, why don't you go upstairs to rest?" She turned to a servant and said, "Would you escourt her to her room?" The girl walked away from the table, following the servant who quickly led her to her room. She pulled out her thick book that she had been reading before dinner and read for a couple hours. She only looked up when she felt her aunt's presence with Daemon in the hallway, then in her aunt's room. She rolled her eyes, hid her book, and blew out the candle she had been reading to. Sleep came soon as she thought about her meeting with Daemon. She had heard bad things about him from women at her aunt's castle, but he seemed really nice. She vowed to get to know him better, as she drifted into dreams. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Black Jewels Trilogy, or the characters. I only own Nathtae and Damara.   
  
Angharad Gwyn: Thank you very much for your review. I'm new at this whole posting my stories online thing, so I will make sure to have spaces between the paragraphs in the future. I didn't realize how hard it would be to read without the spaces. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.  
  
Garnet: Thank you for your review.  
  
SapphireEyes: Updated especially for you : ) Thanks for your review.  
Chapter 2  
  
"Nathtae, tell me about your niece. You realize that she could descend to red if all goes well in her offering to the darkness," Dorothea said as she walked with Nathtae on the cobblestone path through her garden.  
  
"Yes, she could, but even if she did I really wouldn't worry about her. Currently, she's only 10, but she's an odd child, but completely harmless, I'm sure. She never talks and reads all the time or practices Craft. She'd rather learn Craft from a book than from a tutor."  
  
"Hmm...strange indeed. Nathtae, dear, you do realize what it comes down to, don't you?" She stopped and turned to her friend. "Your loyalty to me comes before family. And if this girl stands against me..." She splayed her hands and shrugged her shoulders in mock helplessness. "You know what I'll have to do."  
  
"Of course. What I do, I do for my sister, not out of choice. You are free to do whatever is necessary," she said with a smile.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that, Nathtae because I'd hate to have to do something about you too."  
  
Nathtae nodded, expressionless, but Dorothea could feel her fear and that made the corners of her mouth curl up in an irrepressible smirk. As the sun rose high enough for the birds to begin their joyous songs, the two women return to the main castle for breakfast.  
  
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Damara woke with a jolt from a nightmare. She had dreamed about Daemon and saw all the pain in his golden eyes. Many years of pain. She watched as he fell to his knees in front of Dorothea and begged for her to make the pain stop. She woke up as he began to scream and plead. She shuddered.  
  
She climbed out of bed walked to the bathroom to draw herself a bath that she hurriedly got in and out of, only staying in long enough to wash her hair and her body. She made sure to opal lock her room and paid attention to the lock so that she could feel if anyone of a higher jewel broke through it. She toweled dry and put on her slacks with a warm, slightly well-worn sweatshirt. Her aunt had said nothing about how she should dress for breakfast, and she hated dresses. She opened her door, taking the lock off, and looked both ways. The halls were deserted, except for one figure walking away from her aunt's room. A quick probe showed it to be Daemon.  
  
*Hey, Daemon, wait up. I don't know how to get to the dining hall* she said on an opal thread, not wanting to vocally call to him, afraid of waking everyone up.  
  
For a frightening instance he turned around with hard yellow eyes and his mouth curled into a snarl. Damara jerked back in surprise, but just as quickly as he had become angry, his expression changed to his typical face that revealed nothing. *Good morning, Damara*  
  
"Good morning, Daemon," she sprinted to catch up with him as he stopped and waited for her. "Um...rough night?" she asked softly with kindness. She knew what went on in Dorothea's castle.  
  
"Yeah, you could say that," he replied through gritted teeth.  
  
Knowing she was treading on thin ice, she decided to change the topic. "I'm glad I ran into you. I don't know the way to the dining hall and I'm really hungry. Aunt Nathtae sent me to my room last night before I could get dessert. And it smelled good too!"  
  
Daemon smiled a little. "I didn't get dessert either. I wanted to talk to you a little about Kartane."  
  
Damara's forehead wrinkled in confusion, but she nodded for him to go on.  
  
"He's more than creepy. He has a...perverse taste for young girls. You seem like good girl, and I don't want to see you get hurt. So just watch out, okay? Maybe your aunt will help."  
  
Damara could tell that he tried to put it as gently as he could. "Thanks, Daemon. I will be careful. But as for my aunt, she doesn't care about me. Nobody really does. She's just raising me so she looks good and nice."  
  
"Where's your mother?" he asked. As he saw her eyes go to the ground and begin to fill up with tears, he nodded in understanding. "Oh."  
  
"She was killed. I think my aunt had somebody do it so she could be queen. Oh Daemon, I'm so scared. What if she does that to me? I could descend to red; I'm afraid she's going to kill me before I can. She's sapphire and doesn't like competition." She quickly covered her mouth, at once regreting her outburst.  
  
Daemon paused, thinking. "I'm going to help look out for you here. Nothing bad will happen to you here."  
  
"Hey Daemon...why are you doing this for me? I've heard a lot of things about you, and..."  
  
"Like...I hate women, and that I'm a mean, powerful black jeweled warlord prince who holds a personal grudge against every women he meets."  
  
"Um, yeah. Things like that," Damara said.  
  
"I hate women like your aunt and Dorothea. Women who take everything and taint it, to bend it to their will until it breaks. I see good things for you. I don't want one of the few good, kind-hearted ones to be taken out. You have a chance to do so much." He looked into her eyes. "You can be a good, honest person and start to influence the future to make it just a little better."  
  
She looked up at him and smiled. "I'll try...I guess."  
  
He ruffled her hair. "That's all I ask. Let's go get some breakfast."  
  
With a grin, Damara nodded and set off beside Daemon. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Black Jewels Trilogy. They are wonderful ideas of Anne Bishop. I only own the wonderful ideas of Nathtae and Damara. : )  
  
SapphireEyes: I'm working on making it clear where I'm going with my story. I do know where I'm going. I hope you like this chapter too.  
  
Dena Nehele Black Widow: I'm flattered that you think that I have Daemon's character down. I worked really hard on that. I'm glad someone noticed! : )  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"So, Nathtae, tell me, are you coming to the entertainment after breakfast? It's a new pleasure slave whose in the process of being taught. He refused one of my coven last night. There should be much blood shed. I thinking 50 lashes, at least. Then the Ring of Obedience, to show him his place. We'll see how rebellious he is after that. If you're lucky you might get to see him break," Dorothea asked at breakfast, with a cruel grin on her face.   
  
Damara looked up from her breakfast. She eyed her aunt who happily nodded. "I wouldn't miss it."  
  
"Why don't you bring your niece also?" Dorothea asked.   
  
"Of course, Damara would love to come. Wouldn't you," she asked, hissing.  
  
Damara did not in any way want to attend this "entertainment," especially the way that they grinned. Always fear when women like Dorothea and her aunt smiled. So she replied the only way she could without getting punished. "Yes, Aunt Nathtae."  
  
In a couple minutes most people were finished eating and they all (by a vast majority women) adjourned to another room. It was very big and spacious, although simplistic with large windows to one side. Seats were set up in rows facing two poles in the center of the room.   
  
All the women filed in, taking their seats. Damara sat by her aunt, and felt relieved that Daemon quickly took the seat beside her before Kartane did. She turned to smile at Daemon as he stared out in front, not looking at her. He had a bored look on his face: he knew what was coming. Damara had a chill run up her back; she really did not want to be here. Dorothea sat on the other side of Damara's aunt.   
  
When all the women were in and seated, talking excitedly amongst themselves, Dorothea waved to the guard who left momentarily and returned with a kicking, fighting man with his hands tied behind his back. He was well built with straight red hair that fell in his face. He wore the tattered remains of tight clothes. The guard, tremendously muscular as he was, had difficulty with the slave who kicked viciously and almost broke the guard's hold a number of times. Two additional guards ran in and helped escort the man to the poles.  
  
His shirt and pants were stripped from him and cast aside and he was tied facing the crowd--an arm and a leg to each pole. He glared at Dorothea. "You are a bitch. No one should serve you or any of the stupid whores who follow you."  
  
Dorothea smiled at the guards and waved her hand, indicating for them to begin. The guard who had originally brought him in picked up a whip off a tray to the side and stood behind the man. "I didn't do anything wrong. She took me from my home," the man screamed as the guard raised the whip. He winced from the pain but continued to speak. "I had a life. She took me here to ring me and take away all my dignity. I never asked for this." As the guard continued to whip him, the man's speaking became stuttered from the pain, and he became more vehement. "I'll never serve any of you. Never. I would rather die! You're not fit to be Blood!" He moaned in pain and ended his tirade as he began to scream in pain. Blood poured down the back of his legs, onto the sheet.  
  
Damara felt a tear trickle down her cheek. His screaming cut into her soul. Daemon wordlessly reached over and held her hand. She was grateful for his comfort as more tears followed, unbidden. She watched wide-eyed as Dorothea got out of her seat and the whipping stopped. She sauntered over to the man and whispered something in his ear. She pulled back with a wicked grin on her face. He closed his eyes and moaned, Damara guessed from fear. Dorothea leaned him and gave him a violent kiss.  
  
The High Priestess turned to the guards and ordered them to untie the slave. He dropped to the ground on his hands and knees. Dorothea stood in front of him and smiled. He fell to the floor, convulsing, on his back. "Please make it stop," he whispered.  
  
"So a little pain from the Ring and you are begging for it to stop," Dorothea said as she paced around his form on the floor. "What would you give for the pain to stop?"  
  
"Anything," he whined.  
  
Damara had many tears streaming down her face. She wanted to run, but saw her aunt watching her and knew leaving would be severely punished. She wanted to hold him, and make Dorothea stop. She closed her eyes and wished that she was at home safe in her bed.  
  
"I'm glad you've had a change of heart, Prince Mikos," she said. "I take it you will be serving my coven tonight?"  
  
He sobbed and nodded, still on the ground. The women all walked out, chattering and laughing. The High Priestess turned to the guards. "Take him away and have him cleaned up." She stormed out but paused a moment to smirk evilly at Damara.  
  
Now alone in the room except for Daemon, Damara buried her face in her hands. "That was awful," she cried. "I feel so bad for him."  
  
"It was a show for you," Daemon said quietly.  
  
"A show for me? What do you mean?"  
  
"Dorothea did it to frighten you, just like she does everyone else."  
  
Damara was silent as she thought and finally nodded. She felt a surge of confidence and her opal jewel glowed. "Well, it didn't work."  
  
She got up and walked out of the room. 


	4. Chapter 4

** Disclaimer ** I do not own any of the Black Jewels Trilogy. They are Anne Bishop's.  
  
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Lady of Life: You are correct in thinking that Damara is not afraid of Dorothea, but should she be...? To be revealed in a later chapter. I hope that your hand is better. :)  
  
Garnet: Thank you very much for your review.  
  
********  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Damara hurried through the halls of the building, feeling the walls closing in on her. She hated having dinner with her aunt; it always left her on edge. She needed open space. Finally finding a door to the outside, she bolted out to be greeted by a gust of wind. The girl reveled in the cool air as it billowed her dress and blew her hair off her teary face. She ran, jumped and spun around like a graceful dancer. Eventually, as she calmed down, Damara sat cross-legged on the ground with her dress pulled down over her knees and stared up at the starry sky.  
  
She felt Daemon sit down beside her. "Daemon, have you ever stared at the sky and felt like you were flying?"  
  
"No, but I do like the stars."  
  
"They're so pretty," she whispered with the stars reflecting in her eyes, shiny with tears. "They're beautiful, but cold. Kinda like you. Daemon...I know that you don't have many people as your friends, but if you ever need to talk..."  
  
"Thank you, Lady Larken. You are wise for your age," he answered quietly.  
  
"Yeah, that's what my mother used to say. I miss her." She paused. "Daemon, how can Dorothea do things like that?" Damara said, referring to the entertainment a few nights before.  
  
"She does cruel acts like that all the time. She's tainted Blood. She doesn't know anything of how things should be."  
  
"If I'm ever a queen, Daemon, I'll make sure never to be like her. I'd be better and be served out of respect, not fear," the girl said, standing up with her hands on her hips, still watching the stars.   
  
"That's the way it's supposed to be, Lady," the Warlord Prince replied with a small smile. "Have you been trained in Craft? Or any other subjects?"  
  
"My aunt never really got me a tutor, but I've been reading books on it...I like books. So I'm smart with Literature. I don't really know any other subjects well, I don't think. She never got anybody to teach me, so I've just learned what I could. She said it's 'cause she's busy, and will get me one soon. But I think she just doesn't care," Damara jabbered as she picked apart a piece of grass that she had plucked from the ground.  
  
"Well, isn't this cute. Hayll's Whore and little Lady Larken. What do you do with someone who isn't old enough for your entertainment, Daemon? Talk?" Kartane's laughter rang out, as he walked up to them.   
  
Daemon's patient smile quickly changed into his typical bored court face and his eyes hardened. "What do you want, Kartane?"  
  
"This doesn't concern you, Daemon. Just me and Damara, here."  
  
"I'm losing my patience, Kartane. Speak quickly; why are you here?"  
  
"Mother sent me to bring Damara to her. She wants to have a talk with her."  
  
Damara cast an anxious look at Daemon.  
  
"I'll walk her there. Take the night off from being your mother's little bitch," Daemon growled.  
  
Kartane's eyes narrowed but quickly sparkled maliciously as he thought of an insult. "I suppose you would know where her room is very well, wouldn't you, Sadi?"  
  
"Just as good as you."  
  
Kartane stalked off, angry but defeated. Daemon turned to Damara. "I'm sorry you had to hear some of that," he said gently.  
  
"It's okay...I guess we shouldn't keep her waiting?" Damara wondered.  
  
"Yeah. Follow me. Just remember one thing whenever you're with Dororthea: hold your head high. You see her for what she really is."  
  
The girl nervously nodded.  
  
In a few stomach churning minutes they arrived at Dorothea's door. Daemon squeezed her shoulder in support and left her. She lightly knocked on the door and waited for Dorothea to take the red shield off. After she had, Damara hesitantly entered.  
  
Dorothea laid on her plush couch still in her dress from dinner earlier that evening. She was sipping from a glass of wine. She looked up at the visitor.  
  
"You wanted to speak to me?" Damara asked.  
  
"Yes, do you want to sit down?" She waved her hand at the open spot on the couch as she sat up.  
  
"No thank you. I'd prefer to remain standing, if you don't mind."   
  
"Nonsense, sit here." She patted the seat beside her. Damara recognized the blade in her silky offer: it was an order. She wavered but slowly sat beside Dorothea who handed her a glass of wine as Damara sat down. Damara took a gulp, her mouth parched out of nervousness, not realizing it was wine. She choked and sputtered on the alcohol and it occurred to her not only should she have tested it to see what it was but she should have also tested it to make sure it didn't have any kind of drugs or poisons in it.   
  
It's already off to a bad start, Damara thought to herself.   
  
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Dorothea said in a purring voice.  
  
"I'm fine," the girl croaked.  
  
After she had stopped choking and set the glass on the table, Dorothea turned to her with a motherly, caring face. "I asked you up here because I wanted to know more about you. What kind of things do you enjoy?"  
  
"Um, I like to read."  
  
"Oh, me too," the Priestess eagerly replied.   
  
Damara continued discussing other hobbies, most of which, miraculously, Dororthea also enjoyed. The girl saw through her game and soon became tired of it. She didn't want her as a friend; she did not want to be Dororthea's pet.  
  
"I also called you up here to show you that I'm not as bad as I am made out to be. I'm afraid the entertainment a few days ago gave you the wrong idea, and with some people telling you things that aren't true--" Damara realized this meant Daemon-- "I was worried that you might have an untrue picture of me. Do you understand what I'm saying?" she asked.  
  
Damara was afraid to look into her eyes, afraid of what evil she'd see in them. "Yes. I'm glad we had this talk. A lot of things have been made clear to me."   
  
"Oh, wonderful."  
  
"May I go to my room? I'm very tired," Damara inquired.  
  
"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Yes. Goodnight." Damara got up, walked out, and closed the door behind her.  
  
She walked in the direction of Daemon's room. Spending the extra time she had wandering the halls had given her a better feel of the castle and she was fairly sure she could find his room. It was the only black-locked room in the castle.   
  
She walked toward his room, hoping he wouldn't mind the disturbance and would be there. She wanted to talk to him. Yes, indeed, a lot of things had been made very clear to her. Things that needed discussion. 


End file.
